A New Start --- Slow but Steady --- Update after ACL Surgery

Hello all - Brief update as to current statusSurgery went very well on July 15th. Dr. L was very happy with how everything went. Only deviation with the plan was the additional dosage of anestetic and additional time in the recovery room. All in all a three hour ordeal turned into a 5 hr ordeal.

CPM Machine was more my friend then foe... I actually had no pain when using it, and reached 110 degrees by the 5th day after surgery. We kept the machine for a few more days to continue using it as much as possible in my down time.

PT has gone very well. Started three days after surgery, and attend a session three times a week. The Knee is not sore, just stiff. Currently I have almost 100% flexibility back (125 deg, vs. 135 deg in the knee) and walking with relative ease..... Exersizes include bike, squats, walking (slowly increase from 7 minutes), and various other leg lifts/stretching things...I got confirmation from my Therapist that my goal of getting back into jogging in September is completely inline with how I am progressing, and that it is a great goal.. In fact last night he gave me a compliment that I am the only patient he has had that has almost all flexibility back within just a few weeks after surgery and no pain. I was soooo happy.... He was very pleased with my progress and stated that we are going to start the "fun" exersizes soon...I'm am totally looking forward to that....

I go back to the Surgeon in a few more weeks, hoping to be cleared for swimming.... also looking to start adding a pilates routine because the leg lifts are identical to those in a mat routine.... and I feel like my right side is lacking the focus that I have been directing to my left side.

So I say NAY NAY!

Fantastic Day... Friday's are fun

Today was a great day... I was able to get some studing done in the morning and afternoon hours, and then around lunch I went to the gym to get a good workout in. Ran 2 miles on the tread mill pace at 13'28", lifted weights and stretched...

Looking onto tomorrow, I have a 6-7 mile long slow run to complete... on the roads.. supposively we are to get some more snow tonight, hoping it will be just a light dusting. I am somewhat excited for my half marathon coming up in May.

Wishing everyone a great day and a happy safe weekend.

January 3rd marks the first day of my training program...

For what you might ask... well my dear sweet friend Patty invited me to participate (or suffer) with her in a half marathon this spring. It will occur in Urbana Illinios on May 1, 2010. A nice (or so I hear) town, flat cource, and tons of supporters.

How fitting that my training program starts with a day of rest... I like rest... I would like rest a whole lot more if it also allowed my body to instantly transform into the long distance, faster runner I want to be.

This is mark a 17 week period of my life where I will have to put myself first... literally... I need to be up for each workout a 4:30 in the morning...

So wish me luck, I will report on my success tomorrow!

In with the new out with the old

So I am tired... tired of no succeeding with putting the important things into my daily life, and letting the little things take control. So this month will mark the first month of trying to reprioritize my life. The items that I want to take presedent in my life are : 1 - My Savior 2 - My Family 3 - My Studies 4 - Myself and lastly Work. So far this year the order was Work, Family, Savior, Studies, Myself... leaving me feeling totally spent and not successful in improving my health or my running. So I am tired.

How do I plan on changing this? Well it starts with running in the morning, before I go to work. My goal is that on a daily basis, I get 2 miles in, M-F. On Thursday night I still plan on getting in a 3 mile lake front run. And on Saturday start early working on a 6 mile out and back, hilly route. This is my goal. Each day this would provide me with at least 30 minutes of self reflection time. Then I plan on utilizing my train ride for study time, to improve in my knowledge of our Lord, and to re-affirm my knowledge with engineering so that I can finally get my licencing. At night when I come home, I can dedicate this time to be with the family, reading more to my children, and helping my husband with the chores around this house. (Another area in which I wish I had more time) Then the rest of the day is spent at work.

I will keep you updated to my progress with this goal... any encouragement would be beneficial...

Just roll with it

This seems to be the phrase that most often describes a somewhat difficult situation or experience. I heard this phrase several times over the course of this weekend, so much that, I now am somewhat irritated by the casualty of the comment. Why, when something bothers someone, should they just "roll with it?" Seems like another excuse to file your problems away, to later rediscover them in privacy with their therapist. If you ask me, I think that this world is in a worst place because they "hid" the things that bother them. We hear all the time about the troubles of the world, who had aggression and who acted out because of it. Lives are being lost and families are being broken because these "rolling moments" have become too bottled up and pressure cooked in a sense to the point of a boiling over, and then the innocent people, or those who originally caused the difficult situation, are the victims of the boil over.

So why, do people keep insisting to others that they should "roll with it". Nay Nay I say, people should rather speak out their feelings, and express what might have been the problem and work it through in that moment. Yes it will be hard, due to the emotions of the state of those that were hurt, and yes to those who simply cannot deal with it. But considering the resultant, it would be better to face it and move on.

Something similar to the initial behavior that men exhibit, fight and get it over with and then move on. Women on the other hand we don't mimic the same tendencies, we bury it deep within our psyche and never, repeat NEVER, let it go. So much for the expression "just roll with it". We have so much to learn and so much progress to make to correct our progress down this slippery slope.

More to come...

Where does it all go? - A recap on recent events

Wow so it have been a little over a month since my last post and so much has happened. I cannot believe that it is already April 14th. Which poses my question: Where does it all go? So what has happened.... Hold on to your seats cause it is going to be a bumpy ride...

Some things have happened that I haven't been completely open and honest about. My grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer that had metastasized throughout the abdomen. She was a strong woman who took things as they come, and accepted the fate of a close end with acceptance and strength. Over the course of three weeks my family and I visited her several times, and we were able to spend a good time with her on her last full day. During her last week, my father was here, and he took very good care of her. He was there for every little thing that she needed, and he did it with great earnest. What an example that I have in my life. She died, on Saturday March 28th, the day before the Shamrock Shuffle. True to her wishes she was cremated and the memorial service will be on April 24th, the eve before Dark Lord Day (for the beer connoisseur out there!)

So last time we met, I was in the beginning of my training for the Shamrock Shuffle - one of the only 8 k's in the US, and let me tell you, it was quite an experience. (For those who want a by-standers perspective, go to www.gumbytig.blogspot.com) For one it was a crappy day... 30 degrees, three inches of snow and add about 2 inches of standing water, it made for a quite unpleasant way to start the race. We arrived via the CTA (hey who could pass on free parking!) and changed in the basement of my office building due to a lack of public restrooms in a large transit building.. (I think that some of the people in Springfield should hear about it). My first mistake was changing into my running shoes before trudging across 6 blocks to the gear check facility, and then over to the parking garage where my friend parked her car, and then back to the starting corrals, where we forced our way into our corral, minutes after they closed them and told everyone who was not in their assigned corrals to move to the open corral... I was soaken wet well before the race started.... They were totally unprepared for the weather conditions. Running in those conditions was an experience.... and did have an impact on my pace... which hind sight being useful, I didn't hurt myself. I set out to run my race, and finished in 1'17", finishing 6 minutes behind my test run effort on a day where the weather conditions were more favorable. Considering everything, it is a race that I would like to do again, hopefully on a better day. The lessons that I learned: Always bring your own toilet paper, spare change of dry clothes, and race photos are always horrible.

My dear sweet husband has now taken the necessary steps to start a dream that he has always had, Home Brewing. By the time you read this, his fourth brew will be bubbling happily as the little yeasties eat all of the available sugar in the wort. Unfortunately, he has been struggling with achieving his projected specific gravity for these beers, which will have an end result of a low alcohol level by volume. So far I have tried his first two brews, an Scotch Ale, and the IPA. His other two beers were an all Wheat Beer, and a Russian Imperial Stout. The latter was his most recent brew, and is burping very well now... with very little of a head, we shall see as times goes on.

My sister was just in town, and it was a nice opportunity to spend time with more members of my family, so we joined my aunts and uncles at my Grandfather's house for dinner on Saturday. My cold/allergy attach continued to haunt me as the time progressed, and has caused me to take today off of work. It was good to spend time with my sister, even though she was more depressed when she left then when she arrived. It is hard to make arrangements to visit someone and to know that there were only two people who didn't see her, and they were my sisters, that was very hard for her to take. I hope that she remains strong, and know that if she had come to see her, in the end she didn't resemble the woman who we all grew up and loved. I pray that the memory of her will last longer then the sorrow on not seeing her moments before she died.

See I told you that it was going to be a bumpy ride. Which brings us full circle to my leading question: Where does it all go?

Splurges......are.......fun!

I seldem splurge on items for myself....in fact, I tend not to get anything at all...except for if you count holidays and birthdays.... :-) So for my birthday, I splurged... I purchased an iPod Nano and also picked up the nike+ adaptor.... must I say, I think that this is by far one of the best training tools available for those who cannot afford a personal running trainer. I was very impressed.

During last night's run, I used the iPod and the nike+ sensor for a 2.5 mile run, and it was very easy to set up... and use... in fact it was re-assuring to hear her voice come through over the music, telling me how far I had come, how fast I was going and when I was nearing the end of the run....

Which, I have now learned, that 400 meters is an awful long distance to try and run full out...which of cource I tried to do last night... so imagine, there is me, running at a 9 min. mile pace, thinking in my ignorance that the voice would be informing me that I finished the 400 meters....however, after what seemed like two minutes, she calmly states, 300 meters left to go..... CRAP... there is no way I can keep up this pace for another 300 meters! I quickly decreased the speed, and finished winded and very slow.... I will remember next time to sprint only on the last 100 meters, not the last 400 meters....

Progess is daily, one small step at a time....

8 weeks left to go!